As I type the subject of this blog, questions immediately arise. Will the title give a lot of resistance? Are you in control as an organization if you let the strategy be determined by the competences of people? That does not really sound SMART. What are competencies? And which competencies do you need in your organization? How do you measure competencies?
When I worked for a small project agency I quickly noticed that there was no vision and everyone had very narrow linear work (their expertise was 1 project management software application based on Prince2). The employees wanted more, but did not know how and what. I then charted what that growth path would look like for a more mature project bureau. This also meant that the project bureau had to look at itself and its current services. Because as Socrates said before:
Whats not in it, won’t come out.
In most organizations, the strategy is determined by a small group at board level. This strategy is rolled out top-down in the line organization. In this line organization, projects are created to achieve the strategic goals. The projects usually take place outside the line organization within the project organization.
In order to have such a project-oriented project organization, we set up a Project Office Knowledge Center / “Center of Excelence”. This “COE” provides services and products to support the project organization. These services depend on the demand of the (project-) organization & have following spearheads:
- Research & Advice
- Education & Training
- People sourcing
- Software
- Methodologies
An important service to which organizations (fortunately) attach more and more value is the staffing. As long as robotics is unable to replace the human component in (project-) organizations, humans remain the most important force in the organization.
If you want to look closer to the Innovation Star
How do you ensure that the right people are in the right place in the project organization?
My answer is by not looking directly at the people, but at the (innate) talents and competences (knowledge and skills) of the people in a project or program, as a manager or employee.
What I miss most when I visit organizations is the awareness of talents and their efficient use. We find competencies in a c.v.
As a result, the connection between business and technology (2 very different types of talent) within the organisation is also missing. And this also applies to the connection between management and innovation (also 2 very different talent types) of the organisation.
I analyze various layers of the (project) organization and use my talents and competencies including various analysis methods such as De Caluwé changemanagement, DISC and OPTI(-mal). I look at the type of project and the intended project leader. Is there a match? If so, GREAT! And if that match is not perfect then thát knowledge is also of added value.
Conclusion: be aware of the staffing in the project organization. As you also consciously choose a method that fits the project and which software connects and supports the organization the most. With this awareness, recruitment policy is also of great importance. Take on people (nature) talent that fits the strategy and vision of the organization. Knowledge and skills can be learned, talent is innate.
How did the project agency fare? She took my advice, also to set up a new website based on this vision. It was a very nice time of growth. Employees flourished.
I went to my next challenge. I hope that the delusions of the day (“getting payed by the our” mentality) have not caught up with the bureau. Because I keep repeating, what does not matter does not come out.